Miss Manju Truck Driver (Manjuben Truck Driver)
Director: Sherna Dastur. India, 2002. 52 min.
English subtitlesMiss Manju is a truck driver who defies gender stereotypes. She describes herself as half Shiva, half Shakti (man/woman) who "doesn't need anybody else's power." This betelnut chewing, cross-dressing businesswoman hangs out with the boys and comes home to a girlfriend and a family who call her big Daddy. You may say that butch dyke is this womans middle name, but hold off on the labels. This beautifully shot observational documentary, filled with close-ups of busy Indian roads and night cafes, has been structured as a poetic story of an original trailblazer as well as the social landscape surrounding her.